Russia's strategic nuclear potential to be upgraded by 2020

Russia has begun the mass construction of new generation 955 Borei vessels, which will become the main component of Russia's nuclear naval triad. Source: Press Photo

In reaction to NATO's eastward expansion, Russia has created new types of ballistic missiles, is perfecting strategic aviation, building submarines and upgrading its outer space monitoring system.

Moscow is accelerating the renewal of its nuclear
deterrence capacities, with the complete renewal of the power groupings due to be
finished by 2020, according to Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who is
responsible for Russia's military-industrial complex.

Today there are substantial reasons for Russia to be
concerned about defense, says Viktor Yesin, former
director of the headquarters of the strategic missile forces. "America
setting up its Missile Defense System in Poland, Romania and possibly in the
Baltic countries is a direct security threat for Russia," he says.

"The appearance of anti-missile systems in
these countries will help the U.S. realize its so-called ‘lightning strike’
plan,” Yesin explains. “Its essence is to position the anti-missile systems as
close as possible to the potential enemy's ballistic missile launching pads and
prevent their launch.”

Strengthening the nuclear shield

He points out that while the Pershing II guided
missile could fly to Moscow in 7-10 minutes from a launch site in Germany, rockets
fired from new anti-missile systems in the Baltics would cover this distance in
half the time.

“At these intervals the Russian Missile Defense System will be
helpless,” he says, making it clear that this is one of the reasons why Moscow is
seeking to modernize its ‘nuclear shield’ as soon as possible.

Within the strategic nuclear power development plan,
a major step has been made towards the creation of new types of ballistic
missiles - for example, the RS-26 Yars, which features multi-unit, hypersonic,
maneuvering nuclear warheads.

Every block has its own guidance system and can
overcome any missile defense system. The plan is to use these rockets to
substitute the Topol and Topol-M mobile and shaft missile complexes, constituting
186 missiles in all.

New military doctrine

Naval components of the strategic nuclear
deterrence capacity are also being developed. Russia has begun the mass
construction of new generation 955 Borei vessels, which will become the main
component of Russia's nuclear naval triad. According to the state defense
program, by 2020 the navy will receive eight nuclear submarines equipped with 955-series
ballistic missiles. Each of the underwater vessels will have 16 Bulayev
ballistic missiles.

Meanwhile, Russia’s strategic aviation is witnessing
the ongoing modernization of onboard equipment on its Tu-160 and Tu-95 missile
carriers. Each of the 66 heavy bombers will receive new command, navigation and
aiming systems, which will allow bombers to be utilized not only for nuclear
deterrence, but also for launching missiles and bombs with the usual methods.

"The new national security doctrine being
prepared for publication today in relation to the new challenges to Russian
security will not include a paragraph on launching a pre-emptive nuclear strike
in the case of a threat to the security of our country," says Yury Bakuyevsky,
former general staff director of the Russian Army. "Nevertheless, Moscow
reserves the right to possess and, in an emergency, use nuclear weapons."

A defensive reaction

In order to do this in modern conditions, it is not
enough to just have ballistic missiles, submarines and bombers. It is also necessary
to have a reliable system for monitoring sectors of outer space, providing missile
launch alerts, and managing your own nuclear arms. As part of its 2020 State
Defense Program, Russia has already established along its borders a network of radar
stations to warn of the launch of Voronezh-type missiles.

The first of these stations has been set up near
St. Petersburg. As a result, the military can now "see" everything that
occurs in the air and space from the shores of Morocco to Spitsbergen, and as
far away as the east coast of the United States.

A second station has been built near Armavir in the
Krasnodar Territory, and monitors what is happening in the sector between North
Africa and India. Radar Systems help control space at a distance of over 2,500
miles.

The construction of a station in the Kaliningrad
Region has closed the western sector, and in the near future a station will
also be set up in the Irkutsk Region; this will be able to ‘penetrate’ the
space from China to the west coast of the U.S.

According to General Sergei Karakayev, commander of
Russia’s strategic missile forces, the forces under his supervision have switched
to a new, completely digital command system. This increases the system's
stability in case of a nuclear conflict.

"This flexing of muscles is most likely a
defensive reaction, rather than the desire to frighten anyone," asserts
Vadim Kozyulin, Professor at the Academy of Military Sciences, who argues that
both Moscow and Washington know perfectly well the level of responsibility for
possessing and the level of danger of using nuclear weapons.

“Otherwise the sides would not have sat and
negotiated the question of preserving the agreement on mid and long-range
missiles. In the field of strategic weapons I think both sides will maintain
their prudence."